BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $495,000 Stock Holdings in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets decreased its position in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Free Report) by 49.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,404 shares of the bank's stock after selling 18,356 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in First Financial Bancorp. were worth $495,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Barclays PLC increased its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 140.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 190,742 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,812,000 after purchasing an additional 111,309 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 9,340 shares of the bank's stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 945 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in First Financial Bancorp. by 82.8% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,150 shares of the bank's stock valued at $138,000 after acquiring an additional 2,333 shares during the period. Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC acquired a new position in First Financial Bancorp. during the fourth quarter valued at $208,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 308,749 shares of the bank's stock worth $8,299,000 after buying an additional 15,037 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.23% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of First Financial Bancorp. from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. They set a "hold" rating and a $27.00 price target for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of First Financial Bancorp. from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th.

First Financial Bancorp. Price Performance

NASDAQ FFBC traded up $0.53 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $24.52. The stock had a trading volume of 295,887 shares, compared to its average volume of 420,255. The company has a market cap of $2.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.22 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. First Financial Bancorp. has a 52-week low of $20.59 and a 52-week high of $31.18. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $23.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.31.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The bank reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.63. The firm had revenue of $201.59 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $214.80 million. First Financial Bancorp. had a net margin of 18.67% and a return on equity of 10.52%. First Financial Bancorp.'s revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.59 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.92%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. First Financial Bancorp.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider James R. Shank sold 7,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.92, for a total value of $189,392.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 11,141 shares of the company's stock, valued at $277,633.72. This trade represents a 40.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.04% of the company's stock.

First Financial Bancorp. Company Profile

First Financial Bancorp. operates as the bank holding company for First Financial Bank that provides commercial banking and related services to individuals and businesses in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois. The company offers checking, savings, and money-market accounts; and accepts various deposit products, such as interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing accounts, time deposits, and cash management services for commercial customers.